An antimasque (also spelled antemasque) is a comic or grotesque dance presented before or between the acts of a masque, a type of dramatic composition. [1] The antimasque is a spectacle of disorder which usually starts or precedes the masque itself and was played by professional actors while members of the court primarily performed the roles of the masque. [2] It is characterized by impropriety and is transformed by the masque into goodness, propriety, and order, typically by the King's presence alone. [3] It was also contrasted with the masque by the use of the lower class as characters. [4] This then was supposed to harmonize with the king and the higher class. In later years, the antimasque developed into a farce or pantomime. [4] The concept of the antemasque, or anti-masque, was originated by Ben Jonson. [5] Masques originally usually had one antemasque before the main masque, but later it became common to have several antemasques preceding the main masque. [6] [7]